It's never been a better time to dine out in Dublin as the recession has pushed standards up and prices down! Lap it up as there's amazing value to be had.

You'll find lots of French and Italian eateries and seafood and steak are definitely staple foods in Dublin. Tapas and wine are also easy to find.

There are many Michelin-starred chefs resident in Dublin so gourmets will have plenty of options in that department.

As Dublin is such a cultural city with lots of theatre and arts events, early bird menus are common and offer the best value in top restaurants. They are generally offered between 5pm-7pm so, if you're looking for great value, plan to eat out a little earlier.

Top eateries, especially Michelin-starred properties, are pushing amazing value for two and three-course lunch menus these days...so again, shop around.

The Irish love their hearty breakfasts! Hotels and guest houses in Dublin offer generous hot and cold breakfast options, and this is why I don't recommend hostels as the breakfast generally isn't included in the price there.

As for culinary habits, busy times are generally from 12.30-2.30pm for lunch or from 7-9pm for dinner. Spanish diners should remember that our eating patterns are earlier for dinner, so while it's common to eat out after 11pm in Spain, you'll be hard pressed to find many Dublin restaurants serving after 10pm.

Price wise, it's cheaper to eat north of the River Liffey, as the most expensive areas for food are on the southside around the Grafton or Merrion Street areas.

Temple Bar is notorious for overpriced restaurants so apart from Eden , one of my recommended eateries, avoid if you're on a budget.

Almost 15 years of eating and drinking my way around Dublin on various budgets over the years has given me a well-informed knowledge of Dublin's most trusted restaurants and cafes where the best food and value can be had. Exciting new eateries have been opened up by Dublin's best chefs in recent years, where delicious food at even better value, lower prices is being offered to attract custom and counteract our struggling economy. Literally, only the best have survived.

I've chosen my 30 recommended places to eat to reflect a range of different budgets and preferences - I'm a stickler for atmosphere and a social setting so there are more than a few of my personal favourites in there, balanced by a few of Dublin's Michelin-starred eateries, as well as equally fantastic cafes offering amazing value.

One of Dublin's best features is its compact city centre space, so you can walk to and from most of my recommended hotels to almost all of these eateries and cafes.